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UConn Junior Awarded Prestigious Truman Scholarship

Molly Rockett ’15 (CLAS) poses for a portrait at the Wilbur Cross south reading room on April 22, 2014. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Junior Molly Rockett ’15 (CLAS), a political science major, has been awarded a prestigious Truman Scholarship, a highly competitive national scholarship.

She is the fifth UConn student to receive the Truman Scholarship, which provides recipients with up to $30,000 for graduate studies. This year, the Foundation selected 59 new Truman Scholars from among 655 candidates nominated by 294 colleges and universities.

The mission of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation is to fund students who are dedicated to a career in public service. Scholars also receive priority admission at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government.

The 2014 Truman Scholars will assemble May 22 for a leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.

“Mary (aka Molly) Rockett is a dynamo,” wrote Jill Deans, director of the Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships in her nomination letter to the Truman Review Committee. “She has tremendous potential to be a mover and shaker in the political arena – some might argue that she already is, here in Connecticut.”

An Honors student, New England Scholar, and 2014 University Scholar – UConn’s highest academic distinction, she has been a research assistant for political science assistant professor Matthew Singer, examining voting behavior in Latin America, and earned a RARE award for research using Roper Center for Public Opinion Research data, working with political science associate professor Virginia Hettinger on a project titled, “Public Perception and Judicial Legitimacy.”

Rockett is deeply committed to political engagement. She began her political activism in high school and is now an elected member of the Town of Somers Board of Education.

“My mission,” she says, “is to show people the magnitude of their own personal power in the political system.”

As president of the UConn College Democrats, she led the group to an impressive showing in an off-year election cycle. She was also invited to participate in UConn’s Leadership Legacy program and in other opportunities for emerging leaders, including the National Education for Women (NEW) Leadership New England Conference and “Elect Her”: Women in Politics Training Conference.

Rockett has served as an intern in the Washington, D.C., offices of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney ’78 JD, and as an intern for Washington Analysis Investment Research, a private sector company that analyzes the effects of federal policies and regulations on corporate investments.

She plans to attend law school after graduating from UConn and eventually to apply her legal skills in supporting the political campaigns of women and LGBT candidates.

Join us for a talk by Gina Barreca,2018 UCONN BOARD OF TRUSTEESDISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH

All great works of fiction, poetry and dramaâas well as texts forming mythologies, religions, national epics to heroic sagasâhave loneliness at the heart of their narrative. From Persephone to Peter Pan, from âFrankensteinâ to âFrozen,â the stories we pass along are saturated with unwilling isolation.âOnly around half of Americans say they have meaningful, daily face-to-face social interactions,â according to a 2017 study. A former U.S. Surgeon General argues that âWe live in the most technologically connected age in the history of civilization, yet rates of loneliness have doubled since the 1980s.â We need more than social media. We need social contact. We need community. How can we break through the loneliness barrier? Being alone when in need of companionship is more than sad; itâs an epidemic.Chronic loneliness is as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day. We need to change our national story and, often, our personal ones as well.Even the concept of the âlone wolfâ is a myth. Wolves hunt in packs.

Reception to follow.

For more information about this event, or if you are an individual who requires special accommodation to participate, please contact the CLAS Deanâs Office at (860) 486-2713.

A liberal arts and sciences degree prepares students with the tools they need to excel across a wide range of careers. Given the number of options available to you, it can be overwhelming to narrow down career choices. Attending CLAS Career Night will provide you exposure to career opportunities for CLAS students.

This semesterâs focus will be on research-based careers. During this event you will engage with CLAS alumni, learn about various occupations, and gain insight about how to best prepare for your future career.

The McNair Scholars Program and the Office of Undergraduate Research invite you to join us for a brown bag research seminar.

Birds, Bacteria, and Bioinformatics: Why Evolutionary Biology is the Best

Sarah Hird, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cell Biology

This series is open to all undergraduate and graduate students, and is designed especially for students conducting (or interested in conducting) STEM research. These seminars are opportunities to learn about research being pursued around campus, to talk with faculty about their path into research, and to ask questions about getting involved in research.

About CLAS

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is the academic core of learning and research at UConn. We are committed to the full spectrum of academics across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. We give students a liberal arts and sciences education that empowers them with broad knowledge, transferable skills, and an ability to think critically about important issues across a variety of disciplines.